Fitperf Fit Tips, Fitness Performance

There is nothing as warming to my soul as to see the eagerness and smiles as a child approaches my door to train. They may be driven to my studio by their parents, but the drive to train comes from within. Children and teens need to be relatively successful in their endeavors to fan the fires of enthusiasm. If any individual continually feels inadequate in meeting a goal, they will eventually abandon their attempts to succeed at that goal. The key to manifesting and maintaining self-efficacy is creating small, attainable objectives. I tell kids my conceptualization of winning in fitness is similar to winning a football game. The ultimate goal is scoring a touchdown; however, we as a team will concentrate on attaining a series of successful first downs. We know the need to move the ball 100 yards, but we will focus on moving the line of scrimmage at least 10 yards at a time every four plays. If the ball is received at the twenty-yard line at the kick-off, the accumulation of seven first...

The stereotypical image of a senior has changed dramatically in the last fifty years. The concepts and restraints of aging have changed. Many individuals retire much later and stay active and vibrant. Sitting on the porch with a blanket on your lap has eclipsed the same senior playing a high-level game of tennis. Being a senior does not make you old and frail; sitting on your butt and eating in an unhealthy manner makes you old and decrepit. If you are sitting on a chair watching TV, shut the damn TV off, get up, get out, and go for a walk. Start with a fifteen-minute walk four times a week at a rate that only slightly raises your pulse. Note a landmark, a store, or an intersection. This place is your point of delineation. Continue that distance and pace for two weeks. After two weeks, increase your reach by ten percent, and set a new delineation point. You are now four weeks in; you are getting this done. Let us improve the pace we are walking to where you are breathing heavier but c...

One of the many tools available to enhance mental and physical performance is the use of Imagery. Imagery is a visualization technique that lets the individual see the performance they wish to improve. An individual should meditate for at least 10 minutes before the execution of this exercise; this meditation is to clear extraneous thoughts that tend to ruminate in our everyday cognitions. Sit, stand, or lay down comfortably with measured but relaxed breathing. Start with whatever pre-performance ritual may be a component of the activity. I will use golf as an example in this discussion. Experience the smell of the greens-Feel the wind on your face-See yourself approaching the tee-Clearing your mind as you adjust your feet and body into your stance-Your body is loose-You are eager for the challenge of the game the ball is looming large and clear-You are gripping your club, which has become an extension of your body- Feel the muscles of your back, hips, and obliques torquing pulling i...

The mind is far more involved in exercise than just the neural innervation of a muscle unit. To optimize effectiveness in training one needs to be mindful of what you are attempting to do and what you need to do to meet your objectives. We live in a multi-stimulatory environment with constantly changing requirements. To be mindful one must drain the cup before you can fill it. A cluttered mind is like a closet with too many coats, you start squishing them all together and now you can’t find what you need, when you need it. In order to have functional cognitive processing there is the necessity to clear the mind, to have a meditative moment. Let all thoughts pass. Don’t try to get rid of them, just pay them no attention and they will disperse with no concerted effort from you. When your thoughts are unburdened, you will be attentionally free to focus on the task at hand, this particular repetition of this particular exercise. When the link between mind and movement is in sync the impli...

There are times when one's training and their very way of life is drastically changed. These life changing events can be the result of things happening in our world and our reactions to them. There are also internal disruptions. Medical events can change our ability to train at previous levels. The athlete needs to deal with the psychological consequences that develop as an internal reaction to this training trauma. These are challenging times to get past and move forward from. The competitive athlete within us has always pushed ourselves to exceed previous levels of personal performance. We accept nothing but giving our very best," leaving nothing "on the table." Constantly striving to be better, faster, stronger. Whatever the game was, second place loses first. Within the last nine months, my life has been forever changed. Toward the end of last August, I went to my cardiologist to discuss the statin that I was presently taking. While at the cardiologist's, I ...

Goal setting is a critical strategy in changing your diet and physical activity behavior The rate of obesity is increasing. A substantial body of research links poor diet and physical activity habits to obesity and chronic diseases. Producing sustainable dietary and physical activity behavior change to influence this rate of obesity is an ongoing challenge. Research shows that the most effective behavior changes from nutrition education interventions take place when the interventions are behaviorally focused and theory-driven. The Social Cognitive Theory, well known and widely used for understanding and researching behavior change, specifies goal setting as a key strategy - Lee, Locke, and Latham define a goal as ‘‘that which one wants to accomplish; it concerns a valued, future end state.” Goal setting is a significant facilitator of behavior change. Setting specific goals provides a potential strategy for organizing nutrition and physical activity information and skills into pr...